BEEF QUALITY: WILL CONSUMERS PAY FOR LESS FAT?

A nationwide retail survey is used to estimate hedonic prices of fat characteristics in beef table cuts. Results show that consumers consistently place a negative value on external fat for all table cuts and on seam fat in chuck and round cuts, but do not consistently value intramuscular fat. These consumer preferences are not transmitted to cattle feeders through price signals, even though the current beef grading system can distinguish carcasses with undesirable fat characteristics.